Brookhaven, NY


Brookhaven, NY

The City of Brookhaven is home to an estimated 487,731 residents, and it’s located in Suffolk County, NY.

This report will help you become better acquainted with Brookhaven and the surrounding area by addressing the following questions:

  • Are there any hazardous sites in Suffolk County, NY?
  • How clean is the air in Suffolk County, NY?
  • What’s the average radon level for homes in Suffolk County, NY?
  • Is the water in Suffolk County, NY safe to drink?

Hazardous Sites near Brookhaven, NY

There are 10 Superfund sites in Suffolk County, NY. Superfund sites, like Circuitron Corp. in East Farmingdale, NY, are areas that have been contaminated with hazardous substances. If not for the cleanup efforts orchestrated by the EPA, these sites could endanger people living in nearby communities.

The EPA uses the Hazardous Ranking System (HRS) to quantify the risk a contaminated site poses to human health and the environment. Sites assigned HRS scores of 28.5 or greater qualify for placement on the National Priorities List (NPL), and are eligible to receive federal funding for cleanup efforts.

Before the EPA deletes a site from the NPL, it conducts reviews to ensure the cleanup was sufficient. As a result, some sites remain on the active site list long after cleanup activities are complete.

For more information about the Superfund sites located in the Brookhaven, NY area, be sure to review the map and background information provided below:


Map Legend:

36103

A. Circuitron Corp. (HRS Score: 54)

The Circuitron Corp. site, where electronic circuit boards were manufactured from 1961 to 1986, is located in East Farmingdale, NY.

Contaminants found at the Circuitron Corp. site include:

  • Arsenic
  • Barium
  • Beryllium
  • Chromium
  • Lead
36103

B. Computer Circuits (HRS Score: 50)

The Computer Circuits site, a former circuit board manufacturing facility, is located in Hauppauge, NY.

Contaminants found at the Computer Circuits site include:

  • Dichloromethane (Methylene Chloride)
  • Tetrachloroethene
  • Trichloroethene
36103

C. Lawrence Aviation Industries, Inc. (HRS Score: 50)

The Lawrence Aviation Industries, Inc. site, a manufacturing plant which produced titanium sheeting for the aeronautics industry, is located in Port Jefferson Station, NY.

Contaminants found at the Lawrence Aviation Industries, Inc. site include:

  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
  • Aroclor 1260
  • Trichloroethene
  • Cis-1,2-Dichloroethene
  • Tetrachloroethene
36103

D. MacKenzie Chemical Works (HRS Score: 50)

The MacKenzie Chemical Works site, where various chemical products where produced from 1948 to 1987, is located in Central Islip, NY.

Contaminants found at the MacKenzie Chemical Works site include:

  • Aluminum
  • Antimony
  • Arsenic
  • Benzene
  • Cadmium
36103

E. Smithtown Ground Water Contamination (HRS Score: 50)

The Smithtown Ground Water Contamination site, an area of contaminated groundwater that has affected local drinking water supplies, is located in Smithtown, NY.

Contaminants found at the Smithtown Ground Water Contamination site include:

  • Aluminum
  • Arsenic
  • Chloroform
  • Chromium
  • Iron
36103

F. Brookhaven National Laboratory (USDOE) (HRS Score: 40)

The Brookhaven National Laboratory (USDOE) site, a research and development facility owned by the U.S. Department of Energy, is located in Upton, NY.

Contaminants found at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (USDOE) site include:

  • Aluminum
  • Asbestos
  • Cadmium
  • Cesium-137
  • Lead
36103

G. Preferred Plating Corp. (HRS Score: 35)

The Preferred Plating Corp. site, where metal plating operations were conducted from 1951 until 1976, is located in Farmingdale, NY.

Contaminants found at the Preferred Plating Corp. site include:

  • Arsenic
  • Benzene
  • Cadmium
  • Chromium
  • Cyanide
36103

H. Goldisc Recordings, Inc. (HRS Score: 33)

The Goldisc Recordings, Inc. site, where phonograph records and audio visual and optical devices were manufactured, is located in Holbrook, NY.

Contaminants found at the Goldisc Recordings, Inc. site include:

  • Cadmium
  • Lead
  • Benzo[a]anthracene
  • Copper
  • Nickel
36103

I. Islip Municipal Sanitary Landfill (HRS Score: 33)

The Islip Municipal Sanitary Landfill site is located in Islip, NY.

Contaminants found at the Islip Municipal Sanitary Landfill site include:

  • Antimony
  • Arsenic
  • Benzene
  • Beryllium
  • Cadmium
36103

J. Rowe Industries Ground Water Contamination (HRS Score: 32)

The Rowe Industries Ground Water Contamination site, where electric motors and transformers were manufactured from the 1950s to the early 1960s, is located in Noyack/Sag Harbor, NY.

Contaminants found at the Rowe Industries Ground Water Contamination site include:

  • Antimony
  • Arsenic
  • Benzene
  • Beryllium
  • Cadmium

Air Quality in the Brookhaven, NY Area

The two most widespread forms of air pollution are ozone (smog) and particle pollution (soot). Exposure to these harmful pollutants, for even just a short period, can have adverse effects on your health.

Thanks to data collected by air monitoring equipment located across the country, the American Lung Association (ALA) is able to assess and track our air quality using three metrics:

  • Ozone
  • Short-term Particle Pollution
  • Year-round Particle Pollution

In their 2019 annual report, the ALA rated the air quality in Suffolk County, NY as follows:

Ground-Level
Ozone Pollution

Grading Scale: A-F

Short-Term
Particle Pollution

Grading Scale: A-F

Year-Round
Particle Pollution

Grading Scale: Pass/Fail

Radon Levels in Brookhaven, NY Area

Air quality inside your home can be impacted by a number of factors, including the presence of hazardous substances in building materials (asbestos, lead, formaldehyde, etc.) and local radon levels.

Radon is a naturally occurring gas you cannot see or smell. It can build up inside your home and negatively impact your indoor air quality as well as your health.

To provide a guideline, the EPA assigned one of three zones to each U.S. county and county equivalent:

  • Zone 1 (higher radon levels)
  • Zone 2 (moderate levels)
  • Zone 3 (lower levels)

The average indoor radon reading in Suffolk County, NY is predicted to be less than 2 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), so the county has been assigned EPA Radon Zone 3.

EPA Radon Zone

But, it's worth mentioning homes with elevated levels of radon have been found in all three radon zones. So, despite the fact Brookhaven, NY is in EPA Radon Zone 3, you should have a radon test performed on any home you purchase in the area.

Water Quality in Brookhaven, NY Area

In accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the EPA sets regulatory limits for drinking water contaminants known to cause adverse health effects.

The following Suffolk County, NY water provider(s) violated the maximum allowable level for one or more regulated contaminants:

Filter ValueWater SystemContaminantHealth Effects
36103Greenport VillageNitrateInfants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome. 
36103Riverside WDNitrateInfants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome. 
36103Suffolk County Water AuthorityNitrateInfants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome. 
36103West Gilgo Beach AssociationTolueneNervous system, kidney, or liver problems 

In addition to setting enforceable standards for harmful contaminants, the EPA also established guidelines to assist public water providers in managing the taste, odor and color of their drinking water.

To find out more about what’s in your drinking water, contact your utility company and request a copy of the latest Consumer Confidence Report.


Sources and Methods

Hazardous Sites: Identified using a report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), hazardous sites detailed on trendingtowns.com represent sites contained on the National Priorities List (NPL) as of November 25, 2019.  The NPL is the list of national priorities among the known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants throughout the United States and its territories.  All site-related data was sourced from the EPA.

Air Quality: Grades for ozone, short-term particle pollution, and year-round particle pollution were obtained from State of the Air 2019, a report compiled by the American Lung Association.

Radon Zones: Radon zone designations were obtained using a public use dataset provided by the EPA (September 11, 2019).

Water Quality: Drinking water violation data was sourced from the Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), a public use database provided by the EPA.  The dataset included violations submitted to the database as of the third quarter of 2019.

Paul

I’ve moved several times over the years, so I know just how stressful it can be to relocate. I want to help put your mind at ease. That’s why I research and write about all the things I think you should consider when moving to a new town.

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